Tie-plate.



' c. A. MORSE & E. H. BELL.

TIE PLATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5. 1911.

1,246,980: I Patented. Nov. 20, 191?.

M2 fizz/67275125 CHARLES A. MORSE AND EDWIN n. BELL, or onrcaeo, ILLInoIs, v

TIE-PLATE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NOV. 20, 1917.

Application filed May 5,1917. Seria1 No.-166',516.

after described and more particularly pointed cut in the appended claims. a

The object of our inventlon is to produce a tie plate which is so constructed with a minimum of metal that it is capable of withstandin the great strain im osed u on it in use without buckling or breaking. An;

other object f the invention is to provide a tie plate which may be easily made'by the rolling process and which, when in track, w ll not tip or creep in the direction of the rail due to the wave motion thereof under load of passirg trains. 7

These ob'ects, together with the advan tages of the improved tie plate, will more fullv appear as we proceed with our specification. I a f In the drawings: 7

Figure 1 illustrates in a perspective view,

. a tie plate made in accordance with our invention.

Fig. 2 is a view-in side elevation on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a view illustrating a-transverse section through the tie plate. the plane of the section being indicated by the line-33 of Fig; 2.

Fig. 4 is a top. plan view of thetie plate" on a smaller scale.

Referring now in detail to that embodiment of our invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings :5 indicates the tie plate as a whole, which, as shown, is rectangular in plan and islon'ge'r'tharfit is wide. Near the outer end 6 of the tie plate, and on its top surface; is formed a trans''- versely extending upright flange which pro-r vides a rail abutting shoulder 7 adapted to be engaged by the outer edge of a rail base 8. Beyond said flange. said outer end of the tie plate is tapered in the usual manner.

On the top surface of the tie plate are a thereof,

10 and 11 respectively. Theseribs are parallel with the shoulder 7, and provide lon-' gitudinally spaced seats on which the rail base. is adapted to rest. The intermediate plurality of transversely extending ribs, 9,

rib 10is separated or spaced from the endf most ribs 9 and 11, respectively, by comparatively deep grooves, 12, 12, which are of awidth substantially equal to the Width of the intermediate rib l0.

Each rib 9,10 and 11 has a cambered or a convexed surface 9, 10 3-11 respectively,--" Which terminates short of the endsof each rib to provide flat end parts 9", 10211", on

said ribs, the higher or thicker portions of.

said ribs being located'on thelongitudinalmedian line of the tie plate as a whole. The inner end 13 of the tie plate tapers ofi in thickness from the rib 9, in the same manner asthe outer end 6 of said plate,-before dc scribed.

Upon the bottom surface of the tie plate,

preferably belowand paralleliwith'the endmost ribs 9 and 11', are provided more or less sharpened flanges 14 which are adapted to engage and penetrate the tie in a manner preventing endwise slipping of the plate as a whole upon the tie.

When the t e plate is in track. the rail base 8 rests upon the top parts or summits of the cambered surfaces 9, 10, and 11 respectivelv. of the ribs 9, 10 and 11, the outer edge 8 of the rail base beirg engaged or abutting against the rail shoulder 7. Then one of the marginal or side edges 15 is depressed,

the tendency would be to cause theother side edge 15 to be raised but it is apparent that the ra l base 8' cannot, normally, engage or bear upon the lateralfimarginal edges'15 of the plate because of the arcuate or cam- 'bered surfaces thereof which prevent tend-.

encvr f th plate tipping in' a'directionq'parallel to the rail,and consequent looseningof the tie plate from engagement with the tie.

the load is transmitted or im arted'to' the Compression strain 'due to the weight of tie plate only" on "its longitudinal. median" line and in the vicinity thereof. where the tie plate is'the .thickest'and where our plate with the lateral. edges of the plate, because of the cambered top surfaces of the ribs 9, 10 and 11, which are curved in a direction longitudinally of the rail and parallel to the wave motion thereof. The ribs 9, l0 and 11 being in a sense trusses, afford additional strength to the plate and act to resist any tendency to longitudinal or creeping movement of the plate on the tie, which often occurs where the plates are of the same substantial thickness throughout.

All tendencies of moisture or dirt to collect or settle on said cambered ribs is mini mized by the camber or arcuate surfaces and by the location of grooves or channels between them, thus permitting a constant circulation of air beneath the rail in the direction of the wave motion. Consequently the plate is kept dry and free from rust. This is important because the drippings from refrigerator cars has an extremely deleterious effect upon metal and as these drippings can be taken car-e of by proper drainages and evaporization through air circulation, these injurious effects cannot exist to any appreciable extent in our plate.

Our improved tie plate possesses many other advantages. It may be produced by the rolling process. the strip being rolled or formed in a direction parallel to the va rious ribs thereon and to the shoulder 7 Each tie plate blank of said strip is separated or cut from its adjoining neighbor on a line passing between the adjacent ends of the cambered ribs, said line of shearing be-V ing through the flattened and somewhat thinner parts 9, 10 and 11 of the tie plate blank. Thus even though inaccuracies occur in the rolling of the strip, the average width of the plate will exist between the ends of the cambered ribs and in no instances will there be a wastage in cutting the strip because of shearing the same through some part of the cambered surfaces of the ribs.

WVhile in describing our invention, We have recited certain specific details of construction, arrangement and form of parts, we do not wish to be limited thereto except as may be pointed out in the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. A tie plate having a plurality of ribs on its top surface providing spaced seats for a rail, said ribs being cambered in a direction parallel with said rail, and having flattened parts at the ends of the camber.

2. A tie plate having a flat bottom surface and a plurality of transverse ribs on its top surface which provide seats for a rail, said ribs being spaced or separated from each other by means of a channel or groove, and being cambered inv a direction parallel with the rail, and flattened. end parts on each rib parallel with the bottom surface of the tie plate.

3. A tie plate having on its top surface a plurality of transversely extending ribs providing seats for a rail base, each rib being thickest on the longitudinal median line of th plate and being curved downwardly and outwardly toward the lateral edges thereof, but terminating short of said edges, each endniost rib being separated from the adjacent or intermediate rib by a channel of a width approximating the width of tl e said adjacent or intermediate rib, and a rail abutting shoulder parallel. with and along one edge of one of said endmost cambered ribs. I

4. A. tie plate having on its top surface a plurality of ti nsi'ersely extending ribs providing its for a rail base, each rib having a cambered top surface which terminates short of the lateral edges of the plate, a groove or channel separating each endmost rib from the adjacent or intermediate rib, a rail abutting shoulder on the top of said plate along one edge of and parallel with one of cambered ribs, and

the endmost flanges, more or ess sharpened, on the bottom surface of the plate for engagement with a tie.

5. A tie plate having on its top surface a plurality of transve sely extending ribs providing seats for a rail base, each rib having a cambered top surface which terminates short of the lateral edges of the plate, a groove or channel separating each endmost rib from the adjacent or intermediate rib, a rail abutting shoulder on the top of said plate along one of and parallel with one of the endmost cambered ribs, and flanges, more or less sharpened, on the bottom surface of the plate immediately beneath and parallel with the endmost rail supporting cambered ribs.

in testimony that we claim the fore 'oing as our invention we affix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses. this 3rd day of May, A. D. 1917.

(HARLEQ A. MORSE. lED'WlN H. BELL.

Witnesses TAYLOR E. Brown, KARL W. DOLL.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. 

